Melissa & Joseph | Sedona Proposal

This shoot was an especially sweet one as it was such a sweet and unique idea. Joseph originally reached out to me looking to book a family session while in Sedona with his girlfriends and each of their mothers but also let me know that he wanted to include a surprise proposal as well! It was a great plan to get the family involved, as well as a reason to get everyone dressed up and looking their best without risking giving away the surprise! I met the four of them at the trailhead of Munds Wagon Trail and we started out by taking lots of fun family shots! I took photos of the four of them as well as some of Melissa and Joseph each with their respective mom. After, we transitioned into some couples photos of just the two of them before I lead them out to a beautiful vista point that gives the illusion of a dramatic cliff’s edge surrounded by 360° red rock views.

For the moment of the proposal, Joseph and I decided on using a codeword so that during the shoot he’d know exactly when to propose and that I had the shot all set up. I posed them back to back (for a dramatic, artistic shot) so that the couple was facing away from one another in order for Joseph to be able to get down on one knee while Melissa was looking away, and when she turned around we’d be able to get those amazing, candid, genuinely in the moment photos! Once they were back to back I counted down from three, telling Melissa to turn around and embrace him when I got to one. I counted down, she turned to see Joseph holding a ring… and that was it! Since we had made a solid plan ahead of time, everything went down so smoothly and without a hitch! With a plan, a codeword, and a photographer experienced in planning and timing surprise proposals, Joseph seemed totally confident that we’d be able to pull everything off and the nerves and anxiety of popping the question were able to be largely avoided.

Melissa was 100% surprised and absolutely delighted, to say the least. I adored the fact that Joseph chose to include each of their moms in the proposal and that they were both able to share it with people so important to them. Afterward, we sprayed champagne, celebrated, and took some photos of everyone clinking glasses. I also wanted to make sure we could get some in-the-moment photos of the couple just being together and basking in the glow of their future together. Overall it was a super sweet day, a perfectly planned surprise, and a moment that everyone involved will definitely hold dear forever!